Kyphoplasty Evolution: Steering Toward Targeted Therapy

Dr. Prologo starts by describing the evolution of interventional radiology’s role in MSK interventions. He explains that establishing solid referral networks is crucial to building this service line, and he gives examples of how new interventionalists can highlight their skills to others. Then, he describes a new steerable needle that allows operators to safely enter the vertebral body with a transpedicular approach and subsequently navigate directly to the location of interest. This device is especially useful when lesions are located in tricky areas where the trajectory of a straight needle would have difficulty reaching. He also discusses different devices for bone tumor ablation and his preferred methods for targeting lesions that are located at varying locations in the spine. For lesions below T5, he uses fluoroscopy for better visualization of the axial plane. For lumbar lesions, he emphasizes the importance of correlating and cross-checking vertebral levels with pre-procedural MRI.

Dr. Prologo also discusses lessons learned from his extensive experience in spine interventions, especially from prior complications. He explains how thermocouple monitoring can give real time feedback on internal temperature during radiofrequency ablation, the necessity of understanding the ablation zone, and the importance of longitudinal follow up. He cites specific cases of patients struggling with chronic pain and how he advocated for each case.